NCJ Number
155927
Date Published
1995
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This bulletin describes recent trends in recorded residential break-ins in the Sydney, Australia, Statistical Division; the focus is on items stolen and on crime prevention strategies.
Abstract
In 1993, 42,182 break and enters were recorded for the Sydney Statistical Division. This figure represented about 70 percent of all break and enters recorded for New South Wales (NSW). Between 1989 and 1993, there was a sharp decrease in the rate of recorded break and enters, from 1,448 per 100,000 population in 1989 to 1,254 per 100,000 population in 1993. The percentage of NSW households broken into, however, increased from 3.57 percent in 1993 to 4.5 percent in 1994. In 1992, NSW households most commonly perceived housebreaking, burglaries, and thefts as the main crime or public nuisance problem in their neighborhoods. Items most commonly stolen from dwellings between 1990 and 1992 included video recorders, televisions, power tools, cameras, rings, stereos, watches, and compact disc players. Items most commonly stolen from garages and sheds included power tools, mowers, edge trimmers, bicycles, and nonpowered tools. Statistics for the Sydney Statistical Division are compared with other Local Government Areas. Specific measures to reduce the incidence of breaking and entering are identified that encompass the criminal, the victim, and public education. Supplemental data on items stolen are appended. 22 notes, 1 table, and 6 figures